Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-02-11
A PERSIAN At HOME.
AN AMERICAN AMONG THE SUBJ
JECTS OF The SHAH.

JtS . Or lNS STST.
Greeted by the Wives and Their Babies.
Music ON the Guitar-A Visitor Ar
riyes-
Rayza Mohammed is my sarvant. He is
good Mussulman, although not strictly ortho-
ioX, belonging to the sect Of Dawoodees and
believing that strong drink was given by
Allah TO cheer the heart Of man. Being a
jolly fellow and good Moslem, he has three
wives. IL does not take much to support
three wives in Persia hardly more than to
support one, that is among the poorer classes.
The first wife he married when She was i and
he Il. She was his cousin, fair NayTich and
she lords it over the other two, being a rela-
tive. Its 8 o'clock, and | have dismissed
Rayzs for the night. As he enters the low
door of his little house 10y the DwaEeh kaswin,
he greets his women folk with. Peace be
with ye," and they reply in chorus: With You
also he peace and the goodness Of Allah"
The babies however, are not quite 81 formal.
They CHAMBER up on his knees a. soon as he
has squatted down before his meal. served on
the floor and arranged around him in a num-
teI "a TN IAtlltGis, ciSh t'Nfltt Win
cone shaped dish.
THE EVENING MEAL
Their respective mothers bear the little
misChiefS away. though. and the papa gravely
dips his fingers in a brass basin and goes
through the form of the religious ablution.
! Then he reaches out for the various dishes
. In one there l. the sUCcu!ent rice made beau
tiful to look at by saffron and little shreds Of
mutton. In another there is roast lamb In
another there Is sour soup, favored with
lime juice and containing bits of meat He
helps himself to all these GOO things in turn.
his sleeves being tucked u TO the elbow,
using no knife, fork or spoon, but instead
pieces cf the tiahhy. flat bread which he tears
off from IA slice as big as a sheet and lying at
his right hand side. Dexterously he scoops
up tn. gravy and the broth. and is soon
ready for his dessert, which consists of Gu
cumbers, peaches ami Jelly from heaven a
species of pudding made of rice -four and
pistachcs He then rises, goes in front of the
! house to the brink OF the kanaut canal of
running water, conducted from the icy tops
of mountains, and drinks from the hollow
of his hand good draught Meanwhile the
women and the children have simultaneously
made a ravenOus attack upon the remnants
( ol the eoioltS' ana "heh the master returns
1 they have finished.
Rayza sits down on his rug spread out
on the raised part of the room facing east
! "Ghalyan biar, - he says briefly. His favorite
wife, Mayrlch, brings 1t to him, first setting
! the charcoal and the moistened ShIraz tam
/ beki' in "a glow 10y pulling at the black
mouthpiece herself for a minute and blowing
ouI tne tnlC"' powerful sillohe thfOuSh ner
hos"is Inc pipe Is III hrSt Class working
ofuer ana tle water makes us pleasant huo-
Diihs Sou''o at regular 'i.srNas as ne inmates
''ie sii''h'' h"ouo es.' nay IN saSs' "hich
ehPiea>toh VI aPP'oEai on us part makes
IA IT, 'C' 'uo i'ii'ei' nhe i''-s vi LIS
n "'me' "i'.' >ia'i ho'
- "e % gen
ai's ~-ilN- 90 ~ t,H iue fe
iisiouS Id" "a'i''5 e' al 'ii''Se 'iiilss'
" ''-' '''''' '"''e !, "uon
' '"e n'l-
~ 'n'" ''io
~ ~ u' ~ 'n's POI u, u'S' '''e
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az ,s '"."
~ ""i' ''' '''- -, '',- ~ ''''o MS es
,. p 'a1 'ii'S
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'hE "'liAH iiNhLk
Rayza contcntedly and silently smokes on
for another hve minutes. The women have
cleared away the dishes and have snartened
themselves up bit MaIek has put yellow
rose III her black tresSes and kneels down at
Rayzas feet, holding Persian guitar be-
tween her fingers, ON which she forthwith
begins 10 tinkie' She Is All expert. There
Is not much music IN this ilStrument-fash-
ioned Ike two inverted hearts meeting at the
points and covered with seven strlngs-to a
western ear but II dehghtS kayZa, especially
"heh the na"ieS eeii 70 GRO" In unison with